Source of sumptuous meal was a head scratcher

My wife and I recently made sumptuous use of a Christmas gift certificate our son had given us for a meal of meals at Victoria’s iconic grand old hotel.

The food, service and ambience were superb – could not be faulted.

I asked a waiter in passing where my venison had come from, thinking Vancouver Island or the mainland, and was stunned when told me it came from Australia.

On the walk home, I could not help but wonder about my son’s cost having to include bringing venison to Victoria from Australia, and the ship or airplane that brought it here burning tons of fossil fuel and pumping tons of pollutants into the atmosphere, all while we have deer romping in the streets and gardens of Oak Bay and other local neighbourhoods.

Is this a consequence of market forces at play, or some government-flaunted international trade agreement? Please, somebody, enlighten me.